1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to motor vehicles, specifically to a protective cover for the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Due to the basic design of all motor vehicles, certain areas of a motor vehicle such as the front hood, front fenders, front grill, front windshield, headlights, lower front air spoiler, and the frame surrounding the front windshield are susceptible to damage caused by airborne sand, insects, rocks, gravel, and other debris which are encountered while driving on highways and roads.
The damage appears in the form of chips in the paint and/or small dents in the body of the motor vehicle. Such damage can eventually lead to the development of rust on the motor vehicle body and can detract from the visual appearance of the motor vehicle.
In the past, inventors have created several types of protective covers and deflector shields for the front end of a motor vehicle. Some of these protective covers have incorporated air deflection devices which, in theory, use air currents to deflect debris away from the front of a motor vehicle. In actuality, such air current deflection devices are not capable of deflecting all airborne debris away from the frame surrounding the front windshield. Quite often, a bug or rock traveling at high speed will penetrate the air current shield and impact the front windshield frame causing damage. Our invention does not address the protection of the windshield glass itself, but focuses on the paint finish and metal of the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle. No inventor has developed an invention that is capable of specifically protecting the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle as our invention does.
Our patent search of prior art has revealed the following comparable inventions:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,522 to Bonstead, Mastin, and Langren and assigned to Deflecta-Shield Corporation, 1989 discloses an extruded bug and gravel shield which is attached to the front hood of a motor vehicle. The shield is connected to the front portion of the hood of a vehicle and produces air currents while the vehicle is in motion which are meant to deflect bugs and gravel away from the front windshield area of the vehicle. This invention does well at protecting the front hood, but the air currents alone cannot change the path of a heavy rock or large insect propelled at high speed towards the front windshield area. Such a deflection device also creates air drag, reduces the aerodynamic efficiency of the vehicle, and can waste fuel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,229 to Swanson 1991, discloses an apparatus for covering selected portions of a vehicle. This invention does not address its use as a cover for the frame surrounding the windshield of a motor vehicle. The invention comprises a plurality of cover sections for the front end of a motor vehicle. In fact, the use of this invention and the materials comprising this invention would not adequately protect the frame surrounding the front windshield due to the lack of stability of the materials used when formed in such thin sections as would be required to protect just the frame surrounding the front windshield. The inevitable result would be heavy "flapping" at highway speeds which in itself can cause paint wear. The material described in this patent is also not heavy and durable enough to absorb the impact of a larger object and denting may still occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,156 to Messmore and Chabet and assigned to Covercraft Industries, Inc., 1991 discloses an automobile hood shield with deflector. This invention combines the protective cover for the front end of a vehicle with a deflector device intended to divert debris away from the front windshield of a motor vehicle at highway speeds. This invention is again capable of protecting the front end of the vehicle, but the air deflection methods are far from adequate enough to thoroughly protect the windshield area.
As I have shown, no invention thus far has been designed to specifically protect the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle as our invention does. The prior art which is most closely related to our invention relies on air currents for protection, whereas our invention is a cover that is meant to absorb the impact of debris, thereby protecting the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle. Most other inventors have directed their protection devices towards protecting the windshield glass itself by the use of such air currents while the vehicle is in motion. This fact alone makes our invention unobvious to a person skilled in the art. The frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle has been overlooked by previous inventors as an area that requires protection from debris. The semi-rigid materials which comprises the main structure of our invention along with the attachment mechanisms and its specific purpose will clearly indicate the usefulness, novelty and unobviousness of our invention. In fact, all other comparable inventions suffer from a number of disadvantages:
a.) Other inventions do not cover the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle. PA1 b.) The use of air currents as a deflection means is not sufficient enough to adequately protect the windshield area from larger debris. PA1 c.) Materials used for prior covers cannot absorb the impact of larger debris and may still result in the denting of the vehicle body. PA1 d.) Air deflection devices are not aerodynamically efficient and can increase fuel consumption. PA1 e.) Materials used on prior covers are not stable at highway speeds and tend to flap, causing paint wear. PA1 f.) Other protective covers are difficult to install and remove. PA1 a.) The use of a highly durable semi-rigid material to absorb the impact of debris. PA1 b.) Easy to install and remove. PA1 c.) Specifically protects the frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle. PA1 d.) May be applied as a decorative cover for an already damaged frame surrounding the front windshield of a motor vehicle. PA1 e.) Aerodynamically efficient design. PA1 f.) Protective cover is extremely stable at highway speeds. PA1 g.) Totally covers the area requiring protection, instead of deflecting debris.